Tampa St. Petersburg Injury Lawyer Blog

In a recent Florida pedestrian accident, a seizure was reportedly the cause of a driver veering onto the sidewalk in Seminole, FL Tuesday night, killing one teenage pedestrian and severely injuring another.

On March 10, Pedestrian Zachary Baker, 19, was declared dead at the scene of the accident, near Seminole Mall, after Kyle J. Figler suffered a seizure while driving, and his vehicle continued onto the sidewalk. The other pedestrian struck by the vehicle, Jendi Leigh Schroeder, 19, suffered serious injuries and was transferred to a hospital.

According to Figler's stepfather, the driver had no previous history of seizures. Doctors treated Figler for only minor injuries and were examining the cause of the sudden seizure.

Every day in Florida, pedestrians are the victims of accidents with automobile, truck or motorcycles. The injury sustained by these individuals is often serious causing hospitalization or even death. Many clients call our office when they have been involved in such an accident. Generally, their first question is "what insurance coverage is applicable to this accident?" Many are surprised to learn that their own PIP coverage on their own or parents automobile will pay toward their medical expenses.

Florida PIP (Personal Injury Protection) benefits provide up to $10,000 of medical bill coverage, lost wage coverage or up to $5,000 death benefit. This is No-Fault insurance here in Florida. It does not matter who was driving and who was at fault.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has reported that motorcyclists involved in a collision are 35 times more likely to die than their car-driving counterparts.

Fatalities of local riders are reported almost weekly in Pinellas and the surrounding counties, and in all of Florida. The death rates in Florida even surpass the numbers in other warm-weather states like California (ranked as having the 2^nd highest motorcyclist death rate) and Texas (which is 3^rd place).

A spokesman for the Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA) suggests that these increasingly high death rates are due to the fact that more people nowadays are riding motorcycles, and therefore, more are dying. Likewise, statistics have depicted a steady rise in the number of motorcyclist deaths for the last 10 years.

However, in 2008, there was slight decrease in Florida deaths reported from the previous year. Some think credit could be given to campaigns such as "Ride Proud. Dress Loud" or the nation-wide massive distribution of "Look Twice Save a Life" bumper stickers. The state has also attempted preventative action, recently putting into effect a law that mandates motorcyclists to pass a riding course prior to getting a license. Unfortunately, about a quarter of the deaths from motorcycle accidents are of unlicensed drivers.

It has been suggested that this plateau may simply be due to the economy and its rising gas prices, rather than motorists of any kind making a conscious effort to be more aware of their fellow drivers. Motorcyclists often report feeling that other drivers neglect to give them the same precaution as other vehicles. Likewise, many car drivers attribute motorcyclist deaths to careless and risky driving.

It is clear that people who drive automobiles must be cautious and considerate of motorcycle drivers. In Florida, PIP insurance is not mandatory on a motorcycle. Additionally, Florida does not require drivers of cars to carry liability insurance. Therefore, I believe it is very important for those of us on the roads to carry Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist Insurance. This is especially important for motorcyclists who may be more susceptible to serious injury in an accident.

Continue reading "Florida Ranks #1 in Motorcycle Deaths" »